East Bay Regional Park District loses $2.6 million grant for kids' healthy exercise and eating plan

OAKLAND -- An innovative plan to promote healthy outdoor exercise and eating for Oakland and Richmond school children has been derailed by federal rejection of $2.6 million grant request.

East Bay Regional Park District officials said they were notified recently that the grant application for its "Get Outdoors" program was rejected by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The park district had proposed a joint effort for school, park and health officials to plan how to encourage outdoor exercise and healthy food consumption among children in the two school systems.

The transformative health grant program was competitive, with just 40 grants for $70 million approved nationwide, park officials said.